Monday, February 8, 1999
Golf team up to the challenge
SEASON: Famous coach to end run with UCLA, wants to go out on
top
By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Contributor
As the women’s golf spring season tees off at the Regional
Challenge at the Palos Verdes Country Club from Feb. 8-10, UCLA
will see the end of an era. After 22 successful years, Hall of Fame
coach Jackie Tobian- Steinmann will retire at the conclusion of
this season.
Winner of six regional Coach of the Year awards,
Tobian-Steinmann has coached UCLA to 43 tournament victories and a
NCAA Championship in 1991. This year, leading a young team of
juniors and sophomores, Tobian- Steinmann enters the final leg of
the 1998-1999 season with high hopes for her squad.
"I expect them to be in the top 10 in the country," says Tobian-
Steinmann.
Heading the team is two year letterman Alexandra Gasser. The
junior leads the team with one top 10 finish, two top 20 finishes
and a stroke average of 76.2 in 11 rounds. She earned her highest
tournament finish at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in November
when she captured third place with two of her best scores so far
this year.
Junior Amanda Miltke-Leth, a two-time First-Team Conference USA
transfer from the University of Memphis, comes in a close second
with a 76.7 stroke average. She came into the 1998-1999 season
ranked 29th with a career scoring average of 75.8.
Sophomore Leilani Bagby currently has a stroke average of 77.6.
Ranked among the top 40 US female amateurs, she earned her second
best finish of the season at the Stanford/Pepsi Women’s
Invitational in October.
Laura Moffat, also a sophomore, improved her stroke average to
77.3 after a career best finish of 14th at the Dick McGuire
Invitational in September.
Julie Oh sat out the fall schedule to concentrate on academics.
She qualified for the U.S. Amateur over the summer, and shot a
career best 74 in the first round of the McGuire Invitational.
Rounding out the team are new players Alicia Um, Giulia Sergas
and Garance Dilan.
Last year, sophomore Um was the only freshman to compete in
every Bruin stroke play tournament. She tied for seventh in the
Pac-10 Championships and has a 77.3 stroke average.
Garance Dilan sat out the fall schedule and is now eligible and
ready to contribute to the team.
Giulia Sergas, a six-time victor in the Italian Championships
and winner of the 1998 European Ladies Championship, will bring
valuable experience to this young team.
Today they head out to Palos Verdes for the annual Regional
Challenge hosted by Ohio State and Southern Methodist. Last year,
the team finished eighth with a score of 912.
After ending the fall season tied for 24th with Michigan State,
the team looks to improve their position within the next few days.
UCLA’s veteran coach knows that she has a young team, but
Tobian-Steinmann has faith in her players.
"They’re the ones that can do whatever they want to do. If they
want to be 10th in the country, they can do it."
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